DCL with Android Phone

[Kit Jackson]

Is there anything Android specific I should know about using the app or using an Android smartphone onboard in general? So much is based on the assumption that people are using iPhones that it seems people forget that Android users exist at all. It's my first cruise so this all pretty new to me.

 

[merfsko]

My family are all android users, so I can't compare, but we found that all the app features and connections worked for us!

I've read that both imessage and WhatsApp work (text only) on free wifi, and we were indeed able too use WhatsApp.

 

[Travel60]

We had no problem with android (Google Fi) once we figured it out except that messages on the DCL app don't come and go in necessarily the same sequence. Almost caused a divorce! But, regular messages worked.

 

[MickeyD]

I have an android and the app worked, but it was a total pain! It would send notifications every five minutes and then not at all. WhatsApp and FB imessage work with the free wifi, but text only. I ended up getting the length of cruise internet and i could send pics, video chat, etc. It was important to me to be able to see pics on FB so I could check on my dogs left at home. Other wise I would have just used the text features only.

 

[Alicatt]

App was a little slow sometimes but we used it exclusively and were fine. I had the first tier internet package but my kids onlybhad the free wifi. I was able to talk to folks back home with wifi calling and snapchat.

 

[randumb0]

WhatsApp is what I recommend using. The DCL app is inconsistent with messages

 

[CaseyCruiser]

I have an android phone and the app worked perfectly for me

 

[Kit Jackson]

We had no problem with android (Google Fi) once we figured it out except that messages on the DCL app don't come and go in necessarily the same sequence. Almost caused a divorce! But, regular messages worked.

Yikes! What do you mean by regular messages? Does that mean things outside the DCL Navigator app?

Thanks to everyone who has answered. You have all been incredibly helpful. I now have some quick follow-up/clarification questions. I use Android, and the person I will be sharing a stateroom with uses iPhone. If she is willing to download WhatsApp, will that be better than trying to use the message feature in the DCL Navigator app? Will WhatsApp work without an internet/wifi package?

 

[Travel60]

For whatever reason, my phone and DHs gets occasional blips of information even when in airplane mode. We also discovered that our messages app works even in airplane mode. Surprised us.

 

[merfsko]

I use Android, and the person I will be sharing a stateroom with uses iPhone. If she is willing to download WhatsApp, will that be better than trying to use the message feature in the DCL Navigator app? Will WhatsApp work without an internet/wifi package?

Yep! Although everyone on board used androids, my sister at home had an iphone and we had no problem messaging.

We did not get an internet package- WhatApp will work on the free wifi that the DCL app uses (and will work in airplane mode).

We personally didn't have issues with the DCL app messaging, but I know others have reported issues. We didn't use it a whole lot, so maybe we just had a smaller sample size.

 

[Louise97]

I use Android, DH uses an iPhone - we both found WhatsApp was the easiest way to message each other. As others have mentioned, we could send text-only WhatsApp messages without paying for Wifi, but needed Wifi for photos. We ended up just paying for a day of Wifi on sea days and used our data plans in port since we had international roaming included. The DCL app messages were a little slower to come through on either phone so there didn't seem to be an iPhone/Android difference.